Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans (PATH) hosted its first SUSTAIN Training for medical students and resident physicians in the Northeast on Saturday April 29th. The seminar focused on training students about the core facts healthcare providers need to know regarding the intersection of anti-trafficking advocacy and healthcare. Participants observed a presentation cultivated by leading physicians and legal advocates and then had the opportunity to practice their own presentation skills.

Public speaking veteran and PATH Leader, Holly Atkinson, MD, taught evidenced based presentation skills. She is featured in the picture above instructing students on the key elements of a presentation. Dr. Atkinson in addition to Dr. Kanani Titchen and legal advocate Whitney Hood, JD, were key speakers at the seminar. Collaborators Drs. Mollie Gordon and Julia Geynisman-Tan provided learning materials based on their clinical experiencing serving trafficked persons.

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About the Newsletter
This is a monthly series in research and advocacy news summaries created by the PATH residents and medical students. Newsletters will feature brief breakdowns on recent scholarly publications and policy changes as well as highlighting PATH member efforts and upcoming events.

Preliminary results of pre- and post- surveys showed students became more familiar with key anti-trafficking definitions and facts. The surveys showed that participants became more familiar with anti-trafficking laws, the prevalence of trafficking, and were more comfortable educating peers and leaders at their institution on the topic.

Additional SUSTAIN Training will be hosted in the upcoming year in cities around the United States including Chicago and Houston. For interest in attend future SUSTAIN Trainings or for information on how to become involved in the planning committee, please contact Alyssa Davis at ald11d@med.fsu.edu

Dr. Atkinson sharing what elements make a successful presentation at the first SUSTAIN event.
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Members Wanted

If you have experience with website development or event management, there are several opportunities with PATH. We are seeking students and residents interested in advocacy, education, and research on the intersection of healthcare and human trafficking.

Whatever experience or training you might have, e-mail us to find out how you can become an active member of PATH.

PATH Spotlight: Sujana Bhattacharyya

Sujana Bhattacharyya is a graduating 4th year medical student at Rowan University SOM in New Jersey. She has a long standing interest in human rights, and in particular, how conscious medicine can be a vehicle for social justice. Through attending AMWA and Physicians for Human Rights conferences, she learned that for her, self-education is the first and most crucial step to effective advocacy. With this principle in mind, and as founder and former President of her school’s AMWA chapter, she promoted community education about trafficking and violence through guest speakers and organized successful fundraising events for the Polaris Project.

Wanting to get involved at a national level, Sujana joined PATH in her continued quest to self-educate as a platform to end human trafficking, and to learn about the unique role physicians play in identifying trafficking survivors in the clinical setting. She helped facilitate a national clothing drive in which schools collected clothing and items for local organizations supporting survivors. She is excited to take these lessons forth as she starts her next phase as a Family Medicine Resident in Washington DC, a fertile environment in which to advocate for human rights through medicine, education, and policy.